THE HURRY-UP: LSU COMMIT BRYCE ANDERSON’S RECRUITMENT “100 PERCENT OPEN,” BUCKEYES OFFER MICHIGAN LEGACY WILL JOHNSON, JAHVAREE RITZIE RELEASES TOP FIVE
OSU OFFERS MICHIGAN LEGACY
It’s incredibly early in the process, but it’s starting to look like Ohio State and Michigan could be in an early recruiting battle for one of the best sophomores in America who has strong ties to the Wolverines, similar to the Buckeye vs. Wolverine recruitment of Michigan running back Donovan Edwards.
Will Johnson currently ranks as the No. 4 cornerback and No. 16 overall player in the 2022 class as a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder out of Grosse Pointe South High School in the suburbs of Detroit. (For you fellow movie nerds out there, it’s the same suburb where the John Cusack-led movie Grosse Pointe Blank was set.)
Johnson’s father, Deon Johnson, was a cornerback at Michigan from 1991-1994. Similar to how Edwards and his coach at West Bloomfield High School, former Michigan receiver Ron Bellamy, are approaching Edwards’ recruitment, Johnson says those connections will not be a major factor over the next year or two as he chooses his college program.
“My dad played at Michigan, but it doesn’t play a big factor in my recruitment because overall he’d want me to go where is best for me,” Johnson told Eleven Warriors on Friday night, shortly after Johnson announced he had been offered by Ryan Day following a Zoom conversation.
“Coach Day offered me, and I got to do a virtual visit with the staff on it and learn more about the program. I got to go through some presentations with the coaches.”
When the Buckeyes came calling, Johnson says, it left a strong impact. The Buckeyes have asserted themselves as an early player in his recruitment as they continue to build good momentum all around in the sophomore cycle. Their work in getting so many 2021 commits on board before summer allows them to get a strong head start on the 2022 class.
“When I got the offer, it was very exciting because they’re one of the best college football teams in the country, and I have a chance to play there,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely a game-changer and will play a big role in my recruitment.”
Johnson, the top-ranked sophomore in Michigan, is very familiar with the recruiting process. He got a front row seat for the recruitments of a handful of top-tier recruits – such as former Ohio State safety Damon Webb and former Michigan players Shane Morris and Devin Funchess – by
traveling the country as a kid with the 7-on-7 team his dad helped form.
And just like Anderson, Johnson is also very familiar with Coombs and his track record of getting guys into the pros.
“Coach Coombs coming back is a big factor in my recruitment from Ohio State because he has a record of putting out DBs in the NFL and DBs like me,” Johnson said.
According to 247Sports scout Allen Trieu, who compares Johnson early on to Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the young star already has good size and still has room to grow while already looking “like a prototypical outside cornerback prospect.”
Trieu says that Johnson is a “good athlete who excels on the basketball court and has shown top-notch ball skills on the football field. Has the size and ball tracking ability to defend bigger outside receivers. Has good technique. Smooth in his backpedal and transition. Smart as far as zone coverage.”
Right now, Trieu says, Johnson projects to be a “blue-chip boundary cornerback” as long as he doesn’t add too much height and size. Be on the lookout for Johnson as a possible five-star composite player and a player who Coombs – whose ability to recruit Michigan is well-documented – will be in on throughout the entirety of the recruiting process.
Entire article:
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...0-percent-open-buckeyes-offer-michigan-legacy
